The Art & Philosophy of Jeet Kune Do

With Wing Chun at the core of his system, Bruce Lee incorporated a modification of various techniques from Northern Praying Mantis, Southern Praying Mantis, Choy Li Fut, Eagle Claw, Western Boxing, Wrestling, Fencing, Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, and some of the more refined kicks of the Northern & Southern Chinese styles. Innovative and radically ahead of his time in his training and teaching methodology, Bruce Lee developed a martial system and fighting strategy that has lost none of its effectiveness over time.

Emphasizing the "ranges of combat." Students are taught to confidently and with ease "flow" from long distance, "kicking-range," to middle distance, "hand-range," to close quarter, "trapping & grappling range."

The movements are crisp and efficient, utilizing the most direct lines and angles. JKD affords the practitioner a means by which to effectively pursue the most direct line of attack. Once an attack has been launched there are no breaks or interruptions. As one technique nears completion, it starts to blend into the next and so forth: one continuous flowing motion until the conflict is resolved.

The Jeet Kune Do classes at Elite Jeet Kune Do are devoted entirely to teaching and preserving the arts & philosophies of the late Bruce Lee. Students are able to enhance their natural attributes, such as: coordination, timing, speed, endurance, strength and agility, using the innovative teaching and training methods developed by Bruce Lee, and preserved and taught today by Eric Wnek & Elite Jeet Kune Do.

Fighting Philosophy: Quotes of Bruce Lee

1. Know Yourself The core philosophy of Bruce Lee was to “know yourself.” It is clear that all the avenues Lee took in life were in pursuit of self-cultivation, which leads to the ultimate destination: self-knowledge. His art and philosophy were the vehicles he used to gain an understanding of himself, to feel and fully appreciate the experience of what it means to be a human being. To achieve that, he spent countless hours learning, training, reading and researching.The biggest adversary in our life is ourselves. We are what we are, in a sense, because of the dominating thoughts we allow to gather in our head. All concepts of self-improvement, all actions and paths we take, relate solely to our abstract image of ourselves. Life is limited only by how we really see ourselves and feel about our being. A great deal of pure self-knowledge and inner understanding allows us to lay an all-important foundation for the structure of our life from which we can perceive and take the right avenues.Fear comes from uncertainty; we can eliminate the fear within us when we know ourselves better. As the great Sun Tzu said: “When you know yourself and your opponent, you will win every time. When you know yourself but not your opponent, you will win one and lose one. However, when you do not know yourself or your opponent, you will be imperiled every time.”Krishnamurti, the great philosopher who influenced Lee, said: “We must first understand ourselves in order to know anything and to understand and solve problems.”Self-discovery and understanding are part of the process of learning and growth. You should be constantly learning because life and experiences are your teacher. Education, learning and training should encourage you to question and search. With each new experience, you learn something new about yourself—whether good or bad. The self-help material available today is invaluable for developing yourself and opening doors to the acquisition of knowledge about yourself. By developing self-confidence and honing a deep will, you will not only be able to know yourself as a martial artist, but you will also be aided in your everyday life.By having a greater understanding of yourself, you will be able to recognize those areas of your life and your art that need improvement. You will be able to recognize your weaknesses and strengths. You will be able to know others and have faith in yourself when obstacles get in your way.Lee was an astute philosopher. His art of jeet kune do was one of the paths through which his life revealed its secrets. For other martial artists, it can be a means by which they can understand themselves. Lee said that the important thing for him was to understand himself while using his body. That’s why his physical arts and philosophy are inseparable.If you want to gain a true understanding of Lee’s philosophy, it is imperative to peer into the mind of this great philosopher. It is essential to study and read his works to gain a better understanding of him, for only then can you absorb what is useful and fully appreciate what Lee was trying to say. Quotes of Bruce Lee · To obtain enlightenment in martial arts means the extension of everything which obscures the true knowledge, the real life. · The way to transcend karma lies in the proper use of the mind and will. · The consciousness of self is the greatest hindrance to the proper execution of all physical action. · Jeet Kune Do favors formlessness so that it can can assume all forms and since Jeet Kune Do has no style, it can fit in with all the styles. · The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or defeat. Let nature take it's course, and your tools will strike at the right moment. · The fancy mess solidifies and conditions what was once fluid, and when you look at it realistically, it is nothing but blind devotion to the systematic uselessness of practicing routines or stunts that lead nowhere.
· Relaxation is essential for faster and more powerful punching. Let your lead punch shoot out loosely and easily; do not tighten up or clench your fist until the moment of impact. All punches should end with a snap several inches behind the target. Thus, you punch through the opponent instead of at him. · Hitting does not mean pushing. True hitting can be likened to the snap of a whip -- all the energy is slowly concentrated and then suddenly released with a tremendous out pouring of power. · The knowledge and skills you have achieved are meant to be forgotten so you can float comfortably in emptiness, without obstruction. · Jeet Kune Do is not to hurt, but is one of the avenues through to which life opens it's secrets to us. · Jeet Kune Do does not beat around the bush. It does not take winding detours. It follows a straight line to the objective. Simplicity is the shortest distance between two points. · The art of Jeet Kune Do is simply to simplify. · The man who is really serious, with the urge to find out what truth is, has no style at all. He lives only in what is. · If you want to understand the truth in martial arts, to see any opponent clearly, you must throw away the notion of styles or schools, prejudices, likes and dislikes, and so forth. Then, your mind will cease all conflict and come to rest. In this silence, you will see totally and freshly. · If any style teaches you a method of fighting, then you might be able to fight according to the limit of that method, but that is not fighting. · If you follow the classical patterns, you are understanding the routine, the tradition, the shadow - you are not understanding yourself. · Accumulation of forms, just one modification o conditioning, becomes an anchor that holds and ties down; it leads only one way - down. · You waste a lot of energy and even making yourself less effective by studying " set patterns " (kata), fighting is simple and total. · One of the most neglected elements of martial arts is the physical workout. Too much time is spent in developing skill in techniques and not enough in physical participation. · To understand combat, one must approach it in a very simple and direct manner. · Understanding comes about through feeling, from moment to moment in the mirror of relationship. · To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person. · When, in a split second, your life is threatened, do you say, " let me make sure my hand is on my hip, and my style is 'the' style? " When your life is in danger, do you argue about the method you will adhere to while saving yourself? Why the duality? · Why do individuals depend on thousands of years of propaganda? They may preach " softness" as the ideal to " firmness, " but when " what is hits, " what happens? Ideals, principles, the " what should be " leads to hypocrisy. · The second-hand artist blindly following his sensei or sifu accepts his pattern. As a result, his action is and , more importantly, his thinking become mechanical. His responses become automatic, according to set patterns, making him narrow and limited. · Please do not be concerned with soft versus firm, kicking versus striking, grappling versus hitting and kicking, long-range fighting versus in-fighting. There is no such thing as " this " is better than " that. " Should there be one thing we must guard against, let it be partiality that robs us of our pristine wholeness and make us lose unity in the midst of duality. · There are styles that favor straight lines, then there are styles that favor curved lines and circles. Styles that cling to one partial aspect of combat are in bondage. Jeet Kune Do is a technique for acquiring liberty; it is a work of enlightenment. · Jeet Kune do uses all ways and is bound by none and, likewise, uses any technique or means which serves its end. In this art, efficiency is anything that scores. · To become different from what we are, we must have some awareness of what we are. · No fighter uses his leg violently until he warms it up carefully. The same principle is equally applicable to any muscles that are to be used vigorously. · Springiness and alertness of footwork is the key theme. The rear heel is raised and cocked, ever ready to pull the trigger into action. You are never set or tensed, but are ready and flexible.
· The primary purpose of Jeet Kune Do is kicking, hitting, and applying bodily force. Therefore, the use of the on-guard position is to obtain the most favorable position. · To hit or kick effectively, it is necessary to shift weight constantly from one leg to the other. This means perfect control of body balance. Balance is the most important consideration in the on-guard position. · Naturalness means easily and comfortably, so all muscles can act with the greatest speed and ease. Stand loosely and lightly, avoid tension and muscular contraction. Thus, you will both guard and hit with more speed, precision and power. · It's not daily increase but decrease - hack away the unessential! · The well-coordinated fighter does everything smoothly and gracefully. He seems to glide in and out of distance with minimum of effort and a maximum of deception. · A powerful athlete is not a strong athlete, but one who can exert his strength quickly. Since power equals force times speed, if the athlete learns to make faster movements he increases his power, even though the contractile pulling strength of his muscles remains unchanged. Thus, a smaller man who can swing faster may hit as hard or as far as the heavier man who swings slowly. · The athlete who is building muscles though weight training should be very sure to work adequately on speed and flexibility at the same time. In combat, without the prior attributes, a strong man will be like the bull with its colossal strength futilely pursuing the matador or like a low-geared truck chasing a rabbit. · Endurance is lost rapidly if one ceases to work at its maximum. · Too wide of a stance prevents proper alignment, destroying the purpose of balance but obtaining solidarity and power at the cost of speed and efficient movement. A short stance prevents balance as it does not give a basis from which to work. Speed results but at a loss of power and balance. · It is not wise at all to attack without first having gained control of the opponent's movement time or hand position. Thus, a smart fighter uses every means at his disposal, patiently and systematically, to draw the stop-hit. It brings the adversary's hand or leg within his reach and gives him the opportunity to gain control of it. FAMOUS QUOTES FROM BRUCE LEE The consciousness of self is the greatest hindrance to the proper execution of all physical action. There is no fixed teaching. All I can provide is an appropriate medicine for a particular ailment. The aim of art is to project an inner vision into the world, to state in aesthetic creation the deepest psychic and personal experiences of a human being. It is to enable those experiences to be intelligible and generally recognized within the total framework of an ideal world. Art is an expression of life and transcends both time and space. We must employ our own souls through art to give a new form and a new meaning to nature or the world. "Artless art" is the artistic process within the artist; its meaning is "art of the soul". The art of Jeet Kune Do is simply to simplify. Jeet Kune Do avoids the superficial, penetrates the complex, goes to the heart of the problem and pinpoints the key factors. Empty your cup that it may be filled; become devoid to gain totality. When there is freedom from mechanical conditioning, there is simplicity. The classical man is just a bundle of routine, ideas and tradition. If you follow the classical pattern, you are understanding the routine, the tradition, the shadow - you are not understanding yourself. Truth has no path. Truth is living and, therefore, changing. Awareness is without choice, without demand, without anxiety; in that state of mind, there is perception. To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person. Awareness has no frontier; it is giving of your whole being, without exclusion. A Jeet Kune Do man faces reality and not crystallization of form. The tool is a tool of formless form. Self-expression is total, immediate, without conception of time, and you can only express that if you are free, physically and mentally, from fragmentation. The Jeet Kune Do man should be on the alert to meet the interchangeability of opposites. As soon as his mind "stops" with either of them, it loses its own fluidity. A Jeet Kune Do man should keep his mind always in the state of emptiness so that his freedom in action will never be obstructed.
Jeet Kune Do, ultimately, is not a matter of petty technique but of highly developed personal spirituality and physique. It is not a question of developing what has already been developed but of recovering what has been left behind. These things have been with us, in us, all the time and have never been lost or distorted except by our misguided manipulation of them. Jeet Kune Do is not a matter of technology but of spiritual insight and training. The tools are at an undifferentiated center of a circle that has no circumference, moving and yet not moving, in tension and yet relaxed, seeing everything happening and yet not at all anxious about its outcome, with nothing purposely designed, nothing consciously calculated, no anticipation, no expectation - in short, standing innocently like a baby and yet, with all the cunning, subterfuge and keen intelligence of a fully mature mind. I hope martial artists are more interested in the root of martial arts and not the different decorative branches, flowers or leaves. Art of the Soul The aims of art is to project an inner vision into the world, to state in aesthetic creation the deepest psychic and personal experiences of a human being. It is to enable those experiences to be intelligible and generally recognized within the total framework of an ideal world. Art reveals itself in psychic understanding of the inner essence of things and gives form to the relation of man with nothing, with the nature of the absolute. Art is an expression of life and transcends both time and space. We must employ our own souls through art to give a new form and a new meaning to nature or the world. An artist's expression is his soul made apparent, his schooling, as well as his "cool" being exhibited. Behind every motion, the music of his soul is made visible. Otherwise, his motion is empty and empty motion is like an empty word--no meaning. Eliminate "not clear" thinking and function from your root. Art is never decoration, embellishment; instead, it is work of enlightenment. Art, in other words, is a technique for acquiring liberty. Art calls for complete mastery of tecniques, developed by reflection within the soul. "Artless art" is the artistic process within the artist; its meaning is "art of the soul." All the various moves of all the tools means a step on the way to the absolute aesthetic world of the soul. Creation in art is the psychic unfolding of the personality, which is rooted in the nothing. Its effect is a deepening of the personal dimension of the soul. The artless art is the art of the soul at peace, like moonlight mirrored in a deep lake. The ultimate aim of the artist is to use his daily activity to become a past master of life, and so lay hold of the art of living. Masters in all branches of art must first be masters of living, for the soul creates everything. All vague notions must fall before a pupil can call himself a master. Art is the way to the absolute and to the essence of human life. The aim of art is not the one-sided promotion of spirit, soul and senses, but the opening of all human capacities--thoght, feeling, will--to the life rhythm of hte world of nature. So will the voiceless voice be heard and the self be brought into harmony with it. Artistic skill, therefore, does not mean artistic perfection. It remains rather a continuing medium or reflection of some step in psychic development, the perfection of which is not to be found in shape and form, but must radiate from the human soul. The artistic activity does not lie in art itself as such. It penetrates into a deeper world in which all art forms (of things inwardly experienced) flow together, aand in which the harmony of soul and cosmos in the nothing has its outcome in reality. It is the artistic process, therefore, that is reality and reality is truth. On Zen To obtain enlightenment in martial art means the extinction of everything which obscures the "true knowledge," the "real life." At the same time, it implies boundless expansion and, indeed, emphasis should fall not on the cultivation of the particular department which merges into the totality, but rather on teh totality that enters and unites that particular department. The way to transcend karma lies in the proper use of the mind and the will. The one-ness of all life is a truth that can be fully realized only when false notions of a separate self, whose destiny can be consedered apart from the whole, are forever annihilated.
Voidness is that which stands right in the middle between this and that. The void is all-inclusive, having no opposite--there is nothing which it excludes or opposes. It is living voud, because all forms come out of it and whoever realizes the void is filled with life and power and the love of all being. Turn into a doll made of wood: it has no ego, it thinks nothing, it is not grasping or sticky. Let the body and limbs work theselves out in accordance with the discipline they have undergone. If nothing within yous tays rigid, ouward things will disclose themselves. Moving, be like water. Still, be like a mirror. Respond like and echo. Nothingness cannot be defined; the softest thing cannot be snapped. I'm moving and not moving at all. I'm like the moon underneath the waves that ever go on rolling and rocking. It is not, "I amd doing this," but rahter, an inner realization that "this is happening through me," or "it is doing this for me." The consciousness of self is the greatest hindrance to the properexecution of all physical action. The localization of the mind means its freezing. When it ceases to flow freely as it is needed, it is no more the mind in it suchness. The "Immovable" is the concentration of energy at a given focus, as at the axis of a wheel, instead of dispersal in scattered activities. The point is doing of them rather than the accomplishments. There is no actor but the action; there is no experiencer but the experience. To see a thing uncolored by one's own personal preferences and desires is to see it in its own pristine simplicity Art reaches its greates peak when devoid of self-consciousness. Freedom discovers man the moment he loses concern over what impression he is making or about to make. The perfect way is only difficult for those who pick and choose. Do not like, do not dislike; all will then be clear. Make a hairbreadth difference and heaven and earth are set apart; if you want the truth to stand clear before you, never be for or against. The struggle between "for" and "against" is the mind's worst disease. Wisdom does not consist of trying to wrest the good from the evil but in learning to "ride" them as a cork adapts itself to the crests and troughs of the waves. Let yourself go with disease, be with it, keep company with it--this is the way to be rid of it. An assertion is Zen only when it is itself an act and does not refer to anything that is asserted in it. In Buddhism, there is no place for using effort. Just be ordinary and nothing special. Eat your food, move your bowels, pass water and when you're tired go and lie down. The ignorant will laugh at me, but the wise will understand. Establish nothing in regard to onself. Pass quickly like the non-existent and be quiet as purity. Those who gain lose. do not precede others, always follow them. Do not run away; let go. Do not seek, for it will come when least expected. Give up thinking as though not giving it up. Observe techniques as though not observing. There is no fixed teaching. All I can provide is an appropriate medicine for a particular ailment. Bruce Lee's Daily Affirmations Think on these thingsWillpower Recognizing that the power of will is the supreme court over all other departments of my mind. I will exercise it daily when I need the urge to action for any purpose; and I will form habits designed to bring the power of my will into action at least once daily. Emotion
Realizing that my emotions are both positive and negative, I will form daily habits which will encourage the development of the positive emotions and aid me in converting he negative emotions into some form of useful actions Reason Recognizing that both my positive and negative emotions may be dangerous if they are not controlled and guided to desirable ends, I will submit all my desires, aims, and purposes to my faculty of reason, and I will be guided by it in giving expression to these. Imagination Recognizing the need for sound plans and ideas for the attainment of my desires, I will develop my imagination by calling upon it daily for help in the formation of my plans. Memory Recognizing the value of an alert mind and an alert memory, I will encourage mine to become alert by taking care to impress it clearly with all thoughts I wish to recall and by associating those thoughts with related subjects which I may call to mind frequently. Subconscious Mind Recognizing the influence of my subconscious mind over my power of will, I shall take care to submit to it a clear and definite picture of my purpose in life and all minor purposes leading to my major purpose, and I shall keep this picture constantly before my subconscious mind by repeating it daily! Conscience Recognizing that my emotions often err in their over-enthusiasm, and my faculty of reason often is without the warmth of feeling that is necessary to enable me to combine justice with mercy in my judgments, I will encourage my conscience to guide me as to what is right and what is wrong. My View on Gung FuBy Bruce Lee Some instructors of martial art favor forms, the more complex and fancy the better. Some, on the other hand, are obsessed with super mental power (like Captain Marvel or Superman). Still some favor deformed hands and legs, and devote their time to fighting bricks, stones, boards, etc. To me, the extraordinary aspect of gung fu lies in its simplicity. Gung fu is simply the direct expression of one’s feeling with the minimum of movements and energy. Every movement is being so of itself without the artificialities with which people tend to complicate it. The easy way is always the right way, and gung fu is nothing at all special; the closer to the true way of gung fu, the less wastage of expression there is. Instead of facing combat in it’s suchness, quite a few systems of martial art accumulate "fanciness" that distorts and cramps their practitioners and distracts them from the actual reality of combat, which is simple and direct and non-classical. Instead of going immediately to the heart of things, flowery forms and artificial techniques (organized despair!) are ritually practiced to simulate actual combat. Thus, instead of being in combat, these practitioners are idealistically doing something about combat. Worse still, "super mental this" and "spiritual that" are ignorantly incorporated until these practitioners are drifting so much further and further into the distance of abstraction and mystery that what they’re doing resembles anything (from acrobatics to modern dance) but the actual reality of combat. All these complexities are actually futile attempts to arrest and fix the ever-changing movements in combat and to dissect and analyze them like a corpse. Real combat is not fixed and is very much alive. Such means practice (a form of paralysis) will only solidify and condition what was once fluid and alive. When you get off sophistication and whatnot, and look at it realistically, these robots (practitioners, that is) are blindly devoted to the systematic uselessness of practicing routines or stunts that lead nowhere.
Gung fu is to be looked at without fancy suits and matching ties, and it will remain a secret when we anxiously look for sophistication and "deadly" techniques. If there are really any secrets at all, they must have been missed by the seeking and striving of its practitioners (after all, how many ways are there to come in on an opponent without deviating too much from the natural course?). True gung fu is not daily increase, but daily decrease. Bring wise in gung fu does not mean adding more, but to be able to get off with ornamentation and be simply simple – like a sculptor building a statue, not by adding but by hacking away the unessential so that the truth will be revealed unobstructed. In short, gung fu is satisfied with one’s bare hand without the fancy decoration of colorful gloves which tend to hinder the natural function of the hand. Art is the expression of the self. The more complicated and restrictive a method is, the lesser the opportunity for the expression of one’s original sense of freedom! The techniques, though they play an important role in the early stage, should not be too restrictive, complex, or mechanical. If we cling to them we will become bound by their limitations. Remember, you are expressing the technique and not doing the technique. When someone attacks you it is not technique number one (or is it technique number two, stance two, section four?) that you are doing, but the moment you become aware of his attacks you simply move in like sound and echo without any deliberation. It is as though when I call you, you answer me or when I throw something to you, you catch it, that all. On Wu-hsin (No-Mindedness) By Bruce Lee The phenomenon of wu-hsin, or "no-mindedness," is not a blank mind that shuts out all thoughts and emotions; nor is it simply calmness and quietness of mind. Although quiettude and calmness are necessary, it is the "non-graspingness" of thoughts that mainly constitutes the principle of no mind. A gung fu man employs his mind as a mirror – it grasps nothing and refuses nothing; it receives but does not keep. As Allen Watts puts it, the no-mindedness is: A state of wholeness in which the mind functions freely and easily, without the sensation of a mind or ego standing over it with a club. What he meant is: Let the mind think what it likes without interference by the separate thinker or ego within oneself. So long as it thinks what it wants, there is absolutely no effort in letting it go; and the disappearance of the effort to let go is precisely the disappearance of the separate thinker. There is nothing to try to do, for whatever comes up moment by moment is accepted, including non-acceptance. No-mindedness is, then, not being without emotion or feeling, but being one in whom feeling is not sticky or blocked. It is a mind immune to emotional influences. Like a river, everything is flowing on ceaselessly without cessation or standing still. No-mindedness is to employ the whole mind as we use the eyes when we rest them upon various objects but make no special effort to take anything in. Chuang-tzu, the disciple of Lao-tzu, stated: The baby looks at things at things all day without winking, that is because his eyes are not focused on any particular object. He goes without knowing where he is going, and stops without knowing what he is doing, He merges himself with the surroundings and moves along with it. These are the principles of mental hygiene. Therefore, concentration in gung fu does not have the usual sense of restricting the attention to a single sense object, but is simply a quiet awareness of whatever happens to be here and now. Such concentration can be illustrated by an audience at a football game; instead of a concentrated attention on the player that has the ball, they have an awareness of the whole football field. In a similar way, a gung fu man’s mind is concentrated by not dwelling on any particular part of the opponent. This is especially true when dealing with many opponents. For instance, suppose ten men are attacking him, each in succession ready to strike him down. As soon as one is disposed of, he will move on to another without permitting the mind to stop with any. However rapidly one blow may follow another, he leaves no time to intervene between the two. Every one of the ten will thus be successively and successfully dealt with. This is possible only when the mind moves from one object to another without being stopped or arrested by anything. If the mind is unable to move on in this fashion, it is sure to lose the combat somewhere between two encounters. His mind is present everywhere because it is nowhere attached to any particular object. And it can remain present because even when related to this particular object, it does not cling to it. The flow of thought is like water filling up a pond, which is always ready to flow off again. It can work its inexhaustible power because it is free, and be open to everything because it is empty. This can be compared with what Chang Chen Chi called "serene reflection." He wrote: Serene means tranquillity of no thought, and reflection means vivid and clear awareness. Therefore, serene reflection is clear awareness of no-thought.
As stated earlier, a gung fu man aims at harmony with himself and his opponent. It also stated that harmony with one’s opponent is possible not through force, which provokes conflicts and reactions, but through a yielding to his force. In other words, a gung fu man promotes the spontaneous development of his opponent and does not venture to interfere by his own action. He loses himself by giving up all subjective feelings and individuality, and becomes one with his opponent. Inside his mind oppositions have become mutually cooperative instead of mutually exclusive. When his private ego and conscious efforts yield to a power not his own he then achieves the supreme action, non-action (wu wei). Tao of Jeet Kune DoCircle With No CircumferenceJeet Kune Do, ultimately, is not a matter of petty technique but of highly developed personal spirituality and physique. It is not a question of developing what has already been developed but of recovering what has been left behind. These things have been with us, in us, all the time and have never been lost or distorted except by our misguided manipulation of them. Jeet Kune Do is not a matter of technology but of spiritual insight and training.The tools are at an undifferentiated center of a circle that has no circumference, moving and yet not moving, in tension and yet relaxed, seeing everything happening and yet not at all anxious about its outcome, with nothing purposely designed, nothing consciously calculated, no anticipation, no expectation -- in short, standing innocently like a baby and yet, with all the cunning, subterfuge and keen intelligence of a fully mature kind.Leave sagehood behind and enter once more into ordinary humanity. After coming to understand the other side, come back and live on this side. After the cultivation of no- cultivation, one's thoughts continue to be detached from phenomenal things and one still remains amid the phenomenal, yet devoid of the phenomenal.Both the man and his surroundings ate eliminated. Then, neither the man nor his surroundings ate eliminated. Walk on!One can never be the master of his technical knowledge unless all his psychic hindrances are removed and he can keep his mind in a state of emptiness (fluidity), even purged of whatever technique he has obtained.With all the training thrown to the wind, with a mind perfectly unaware of its own working, with the self vanishing nowhere, anybody knows where, the art of Jeer Kune Do attains its perfection.The more aware you become, the more you shed from day to day what you have learned so that your mind is always fresh and uncontaminated by previous conditioning. Learning techniques corresponds to an intellectual apprehension of the philosophies in Zen, and in both Zen and Jeet Kune Do, an intellectual proficiency does not cover the whole ground of the discipline. Both require the attainment of ultimate reality, which is the emptiness or the absolute. The latter transcends all modes of relativity.In Jeet Kune Do, all technique is to be forgotten and the unconscious is to be left alone to handle the situation. The technique will assert its wonders automatically or spontaneously. To float in totality, to have no technique, is to have all technique. The knowledge and skill you have achieved ate meant to be '"forgotten" so you can float comfortably in emptiness, without obstruction. Learning is important but do not become its slave. Above all, do not harbor anything external and superfluous -- the mind is primary. Any technique, however worthy and desirable, becomes a disease when the mind is obsessed with it.The six diseases:1.The desire for victory. 2.The desire to resort to technical cunning. 3.The desire to display all that has been learned. 4.The desire to awe the enemy. 5.The desire to play the passive role.

6.The desire to get rid of whatever disease one is affected by ."'To desire" is an attachment. "'To desire not to desire" is also an attachment. To be unattached then, means to be free at once from both statements, positive and negative. This is to be simultaneously both "yes" and "no," which is intellectually absurd. However, not so in Zen.Nirvana is to be consciously unconscious or to be unconsciously conscious. That is its secret. The act is so direct and immediate that intellectualization finds no room to insert itself and cut the act to pieces.The spirit is no doubt the controlling agent of our existence. This invisible seat controls every movement in whatever external situation arises. It is thus, to be extremely mobile, never "stopping" in any place at any moment. Preserve this state of spiritual freedom and non-attachment as soon as you assume the fighting stance. Be "master of the house."It is the ego that stands rigidly against influences from the outside, and it is this "ego rigidity" that makes it impossible for us to accept everything that confronts us.Art lives where absolute freedom is, because where it is not, there can be no creativity.Seek not the cultivated innocence of a clever mind that wants to be innocent, but have rather that state of innocence where there is no denial or acceptance and the mind just sees what its.All goals apart from the means are illusions. Becoming is a denial of being. By an error repeated throughout the ages, truth, becoming a law or a faith, places obstacles in the way of knowledge. Method, which is in its very substance ignorance, encloses truth within a vicious circle. We should break such a circle, not by seeking knowledge, but by discovering the cause of ignorance.Recollection and anticipation are fine qualities of consciousness that distinguish the human mind from that of the lower animals. But, when actions are directly related to the problem of life and death, these properties must be relinquished for the sake of fluidity of thought and lightning rapidity of action.Action is our relationship to everything. Action is not a matter of right and wrong. It is only when action is partial that there is a right and a wrong.Don't let your attention be attested! Transcend dualistic comprehension of a situation.Give up thinking as though not giving it up. Observe the techniques as though not observing. Utilize the art as a means to advance in the study of the Way.Prajna immovable doesn't mean immovability or insensibility. It means that the mind is endowed with capabilities of infinite, instantaneous motion that knows no hindrance.Make the tools see. All movements come out of emptiness and the mind is the name given to this dynamic aspect of emptiness. It is straight, without ego-centered motivation. The emptiness is sincerity, genuineness and straightforwardness, allowing nothing between itself and its movements.Jeet Kune Do exists in your not seeing me and my not seeing you, where yin and yang have not yet differentiated themselves.Jeet Kune Do dislikes partialization or localization. Totality can meet all situations.When the mind is fluid, the moon is in the stream where it is at once movable and immovable. The waters ate in motion all the time, but the moon retains its serenity. The mind moves in response to ten thousand situations but remains ever the same.The stillness in stillness is not the real stillness; only when there is stillness in movement does the universal rhythm manifest itself. To change with change is the changeless state. Nothingness cannot be confined; the softest thing cannot be snapped.Assume the pristine purity. In order to display your native activities to the utmost limit, remove all psychic obstruction.Would that we could at once strike with the eyes! In the long way from the eye through the arm to the fist, how much is lost!Sharpen the psychic power of seeing in order to act immediately in accordance with what you see. Seeing takes place with the inner mind.Because one's self-consciousness or ego-consciousness is too conspicuously present over the entire range of his attention, it interferes with his free display of whatever proficiency he has so fat acquired or is going to acquire. One should remove this obtruding self or ego-consciousness and apply himself to the work to be done as if nothing particular were taking place at the moment.To be of no-mind means to assume the everyday mind.The mind must be wide open to function freely in thought. A limited mind cannot think freely.A concentrated mind is not an attentive mind, but a mind that is in the state of aware- ness can concentrate. Awareness is never exclusive; it includes everything.Not being tense but ready, not thinking yet not dreaming, not being set but flexible - it is being wholly and quietly alive, aware and alert, ready for whatever may come.The Jeet Kune Do man should be on the alert to meet the interchangeability of opposites. As soon as his mind "stops" with either of them, it loses its own fluidity. A JKD man should keep his mind always in the state of emptiness so that his freedom in action will never be obstructed.The abiding stage is the point where the mind hesitates to abide. It attaches itself to an object and stops the flow.The deluded mind is the mind effectively burdened by intellect. Thus, it cannot move without stopping and reflecting on itself. This obstructs its native fluidity.The wheel revolves when it is not too tightly attached to the axle. When the mind is tied up, it feels inhibited in every move it makes and nothing is accomplished with spontaneity. Its work will be of poor quality or it may never be finished at all.When the mind is tethered to a center, naturally it is not free. It can move only within the limits of that center. If one is isolated, he is dead; he is paralyzed within the fortress of his own ideas.When you ate completely aware, there is no space for a conception, a scheme, "the opponent and I;" there is complete abandonment.When there is no obstruction, the JKD man's movements ate like flashes of lightning or like the mirror reflecting images.When insubstantiality and substantiality ate not set and defined, when there is no track to change what is, one has mastered the formless form. When there is clinging to form, when there is attachment of the mind, it is not the true path. When technique comes out of itself, that is the way.Jeer Kune Do is the art not founded on techniques or doctrine. It is just as you are. When there is no center and no circumference, then there is truth. When you freely express, you are the total style.

It's Just a NameThere is a powerful craving in most of us to see ourselves as instruments in the hands of others and, thus, free ourselves from responsibility for acts which ate prompted by our own questionable inclinations and impulses. Both the strong and the weak grasp at this alibi. The latter hide their malevolence under the virtue of obedience. The strong, too, claim absolution by proclaiming themselves the chosen instruments of a higher power - God, history, fate, nation or humanity.Similarly, we have more faith in what we imitate than in what we originate. We cannot derive a sense of absolute certitude from anything which has its roots in us. The most poignant sense of insecurity comes from standing alone and we ate not alone when we imitate. It is thus with most of us; we ate what other people say we ate. We know ourselves chiefly by hearsay.To become different from what we are, we must have some awareness of what we are. Whether this being different results in dissimulation or a real change of heart, it cannot be realized without self-awareness. Yet, it is remarkable that the very people who are most self-dissatisfied, who crave most for a new identity, have the least self-awareness. They have turned away from an unwanted self and, hence, never had a good look at it. The result is that most dissatisfied people can neither dissimulate nor attain a real change of heart. They are transparent and their unwanted qualities persist through all attempts at self-dramatization and self-transformation. It is the lack of self-awareness which renders us transparent. The soul that knows itself is opaque.Fear comes from uncertainty. When we ate absolutely certain, whether of our worth or our worthlessness, we ate almost impervious to fear. Thus, a feeling of utter unworthiness can be a source of courage. Everything seems possible when we are absolutely helpless or absolutely powerful -- and both states stimulate our gullibility.Pride is a sense of worth derived from something that is not organically part of us, while self-esteem is derived from the potentialities and achievements of self. We are proud when we identify ourselves with an imaginary self, a leader, a holy cause, a collective body or possessions. There is fear and intolerance in pride; it is sensitive and uncompromising. The less promise and potentiality in the self, the more imperative is the need for pride. The core of pride is self-rejection. It is true, however, that when pride releases energies and serves as a spur to achievement, it can lead to a reconciliation with the self and the attainment of genuine self-esteem.Secretiveness can be a source of pride. It is a paradox that secretiveness plays the same role as boasting - both ate engaged in the creation of a disguise. Boasting tries to create an imaginary self, while secretiveness gives us the exhilarating feeling of being princes disguised in meekness. Of the two, secretiveness is the more difficult and effective. For the self-observant, boasting breeds self-contempt. Yet, it is as Spinoza said: "Men govern nothing with more difficulty than their tongues, and they can moderate their desires more than their words." Humility, however, is not verbal renunciation of pride but the substitution of pride for self-awareness and objectivity. Forced humility is false pride.A fateful process is set in motion when the individual is released "to the freedom of his own impotence" and left to justify his existence by his own efforts. The individual on his own, striving to realize himself and prove his worth, has created all that is great in literature, art, music, science and technology. This autonomous individual, also, when he can neither realize himself nor justify his existence by his own efforts, is a breeding ground of frustration and the seed of the convulsion that shakes our world to its foundations.The autonomous individual is stable only so long as he is possessed of self-esteem. The maintenance of self-esteem is a continuous task which taxes all of the individual's power and inner resources. We have to prove our worth and justify our existence anew each day. When, for whatever reason, self-esteem is unattainable, the autonomous individual becomes a highly explosive entity. He turns away from an unpromising self and plunges into the pursuit of pride, the explosive substitute for self-esteem. All social disturbances and upheavals have their roots in crises of individual self-esteem, and the great endeavor in which the masses most readily unite is basically a search for pride.So, we acquire a sense of worth either by realizing our talents, or by keeping busy or by identifying ourselves with something apart from us -- be it a cause, a leader, a group, possessions or whatnot. The path of self-realization is the most difficult. It is taken only when other avenues to a sense of worth are more or less blocked. Men of talent have to be encouraged and loaded to engage in creative work. Their groans and laments echo through the ages.Action is a high road to self-confidence and esteem. Where it is open, all energies flow toward it. It comes readily to most people and its rewards ate tangible. The cultivation of the spirit is elusive and difficult and the tendency toward it is rarely spontaneous, whereas, the opportunities for action ate many.The propensity to action is symptomatic of an inner unbalance. To be balanced is to be more or less at rest. Action is at the bottom -- a swinging and flailing of the arms to regain one's balance and keep afloat. And if it is true, as Napoleon wrote to Catnot, "The art of government is not to let men grow stale," then, it is an art of unbalancing. The crucial difference between a totalitarian regime and a free social order is, perhaps, in the methods of unbalancing by which their people ate kept active and striving.We are told that talent creates its own opportunities. Yet, it sometimes seems that intense desire creates not only its own opportunities, but its own talents as well.The times of drastic change ate times of passions. We can never be fit and ready for that which is wholly new. We have to adjust ourselves and every radical adjustment is a crisis in self-esteem: we undergo a test; we have to prove ourselves. A population subjected to drastic change is, thus, a population of misfits, and misfits live and breathe in an atmosphere of passion.That we pursue something passionately does not always mean that we really want it or have a special aptitude for it. Often, the thing we pursue most passionately is but a substitute for the one thing we really want and cannot have. It is usually safe to predict that the fulfillment of an excessively cherished desire is not likely to still our nagging anxiety. In every passionate pursuit, the pursuit counts more than the object pursued.Our sense of power is more vivid when we break a man's spirit than when we win his heart, for we can win a man's heart one day and lose it the next. But when we break a proud spirit, we achieve something that is final and absolute.It is compassion rather than the principle of justice which can guard us against being unjust to our fellow men.It is doubtful whether there is such a thing as impulsive or natural tolerance. Tolerance requires an effort of thought and self-control. Acts of kindness, too, ate rarely without deliberation and "'thoughtfulness." Thus, it seems that some artificiality, some posing and pretense, is inseparable from any act or attitude which involves a limitation of our appetites and selfishness. We ought to beware of people who do not think it necessary to pretend that they are good and decent. Lack of hypocrisy in such things hints at a capacity for a more depraved ruthlessness. Pretense is often an indispensable step in the attainment of genuineness. It is a form into which genuine inclinations flow and solidify.The control of our being is not unlike the combination of a safe. One turn of the knob rarely unlocks the safe; each advance and retreat is a step toward one's final achievement.Jeet Kune Do is not to hurt, but is one of the avenues through which life opens its secrets to us. We can see through others only when we can see through ourselves and Jeet Kune Do is a step toward knowing oneself.Self-knowledge is the basis of Jeet Kune Do because it is effective, not only for the individual's martial art, but also for his life as a human being.Learning Jeet Kune Do is not a matter seeking knowledge or accumulating stylized pattern, but is discovering the cause of ignorance.If people say Jeet Kune Do is different from "this" or from "that," then let the name of Jeet Kune Do be wiped out, for that is what it is, just a name. Please don't fuss over it. The Basic Theory of Yin and Yang In the Art of Gung Fu The basic structure of Gung Fu is based on the theory of Yin/Yang, a pair of mutually complementary forces that act continuously, without cessation, in this universe. This Chinese way of life can be applied to anything, but here we are interested in its relationship to the art of Gung Fu. the black part of the circle is called Yin. Yin can represent anything in the universe as: negativeness, passiveness, gentleness, insubstantiality, femalness, moon, darkness, night, etc. The other complementary part of the circle is Yang, which represent positiveness, activeness, firmness, substantiality, maleness, sun, brightness, day, etc.
The common mistake most people make is to identify this Yin/Yang symbol, T'ai-Chi, as dualistic; that is Yang being the opposite of Yin, and vice versa. As long as we separate this "oneness" into two, we won't achieve realization. Actually, all things have their complementary part; it is only in the human mind and his perception that they are being separated into opposites. The sun is not the opposite of the moon, as they complement and are interdependent on each other, and we cannot survive without either of them. In a similar way, a male is but the complement of the female; for without the male, how on earth do we know there is female, or vice versa. The "oneness" of Yin/Yang is necessary in life. If a persona riding a bicycle wishes to go somewhere, he cannot pump on both the pedals at the same time or not pumping on them at all. In order to move forward, he has to pump one pedal and release the other. So the movement of going forward requires this "oneness" of pumping and releasing. Pumping then is the result of releasing, and vice versa; each being the cause of the other.In the Yin/Yang symbol there is a white spot on the black part, and black spot on the white one. This is to illustrate the balance in life, for nothing can survive long by going to either extremes, be it negativeness or positiveness. Therefore, firmness must e concealed in gentleness, and gentleness firmness, and that is why a Gung Fu man must be pliable as spring. Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or will bend with the wind. So in Gung Fu, or any other system, one must be gentle yet not giving away completely; be firm yet not hard, and even if he is strong, he should guard it with softness and tenderness. For if there is no softness in firmness, he is not strong; in a similar way, if one has firmness concealed in softness, no one can break through his defense. This principle of moderation provides a best means of preserving oneself, for since we accept this existence of the oneness (Yin/Yang) in everything, and do not teat it dualistically, we thus secure a state of tranquillity by remaining detached and not inclining to either extreme. Even if we do incline on one extreme, be it negative or positive, we will flow with it in order to control it. This flowing with it without clinging is the true way to get ride of it.When the movements in Yin/Yang flow into extremes, reaction sets in. For when Yang goes to the extreme, it changes to Yin; and when Yin (activated by Yang) goes to the extreme, it returns back to Yang (that is why each one is the result and cause of the other.) For example, when one works to the extreme, he becomes tired and has to rest (from Yang to Yin). This incessant changing of Yin/Yang is always continuous.The application of the theory of Yin/Yang in Gung fu is known as the Law of Harmony, in which one should be in harmony with, and not against the force of the opponent. Suppose A applies strength on B, B shouldn't oppose or gives way completely to it. For these are but the two extreme opposites of B's reaction. Instead, he should complete A's force, with a lesser force, and lead him to the direction of his own movement. As the butcher preserves his knife by cutting along the bone and not against it, a Gung Fun man preserves himself by following the movement of his opponent without opposition or even striving (Wu-Wai, spontaneous, or spirit action). This spontaneous assisting or A's movement as he aims it will result in his own defeat.When a Gung fu man finally understood the theory of Yin/Yang, he no longer "fusses" with so-called "gentleness" or "firmness"; he simply does what the movement requires him to do. In fact, all conventional forms and techniques are all gone, his movements are those of everyday movements. He doesn't have to "justify" himself like so many other masters have, claiming his spirit or his internal power; to him, cultivation of martial art in the long run will return to simplicity, and only people of half-way cultivation justify and brag about themselves. Bruce Lee, Oakland, California, USA

Preliminary Analysis

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Preliminary Analysis is the first of three stages in the fight. The three stages are: Preliminary Analysis, The Entry, and The Rally. Preliminary analysis is the point in which you try to learn as much about the opponent in front of you as you can within a few seconds (usually lasts 1 to 6 seconds). Does he stand like a Boxer, Wrestler/Grappler, Kung Fu or Karate stylist? Is he a big man (strong), a smaller man (fast, and mobile), a tall man (long reach), a short man (good counter-fighter), is he with friends (1 vs.1, 2 vs.1, 3 vs.1), does he have a weapon, if he has a weapon is there an equalizer nearby that I can grab (i.e. hot soup, a bottle, an ash tray, or a pool stick/ball? If you feint at him does he move a little, a lot, or not at all? How mad is this man at you, will he try to beat you up, put you in the hospital, or try to kill you? Does he block, parry, duck, etc.? Most important is: where is the nearest exit?! These are just a few of many things to look for. You must be sure that you are alert and ready. If you do not have control over your adrenaline you will miss the fine details and will not be able to think or attack with clarity and ease. One must assess with an “injure to degree mentality”. If someone cut you off in traffic and got out of his/her car and is in your face do not break their arm or put them in the hospital. Do not do too little or too much, or go in with a plan, for it will be doomed to fail. Nothing is guaranteed or will happen the exact way in which you desire. This is the first few seconds in a fight, do not have too much internal dialogue, it is a basic information gathering moment or a feeling you get about your opponent. If you analyze too much you may miss out on openings or take too long to initiate. It is more important to hit him than to gather a plethora of information about him. Just get a feel for him.

The Straight Blast (Jik Chung Choy)

"Put him in the wounded crane!" -Bruce Lee

“In absolutely every serious altercation that I ever saw Bruce Lee in, he would execute a Straight Blast on his opponent.” -Dan Inosanto

The Straight Blast comes from Wing Chun Gung Fu. The Cantonese term is “Jik Chung.” Wing Chun is the only Chinese martial art that Bruce Lee truly studied in an in-depth and formal fashion for a prolonged period of time (five years). He learned the art from renowned master Yip Man. Many of Jeet Kune Do’s trapping skills, the centerline theory (called “Jung Seen Choy” in Cantonese), and some concepts and principles come from Wing Chun Gung Fu. The Straight Blast is a very pivotal technique in Jeet Kune Do, but most people are unaware of its existence. Most people have experienced Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do through his movies (which is more self-perfection JKD which you will learn about later), but only those who trained closely with Bruce (less than twenty people) have experienced Bruce’s functional Jeet Kune Do (street fighting). Bruce Lee was very aware of what “looked good” on the silver screen, but he also knew what actually worked in street fighting, which is why he used the Straight Blast, but next to no one saw it. Throughout his life Bruce Lee gave many different demonstrations, and he was very aware of what impressed the eyes of martial artists or veteran street fighters and what impressed the eye of the public. Bruce’s most famous demonstration was at Ed Parker’s Long Beach Internationals, where he sparred full contact with Dan Inosanto and a few of his other instructors. One can see several kicks to the head, but no thigh or groin kicks. Watching Bruce’s foot effortlessly kick his opponent’s face at will with lightning speed was astonishing. If you see someone execute a Straight Blast it is not the most impressive sight in Martial Arts, and would probably look a little silly. But, the entire art of Jeet Kune Do was formulated around getting into the Straight Blast. The reason Bruce spent a lifetime developing the ability to burst forward with incredible pressure is because no art learns how to fight running backwards. The Straight Blast (when executed properly, i.e. after an effective entry) takes away your opponent’s balance, so not only can he not attack effectively, but he has to do all that he can to stop himself from falling over or being knocked out. In Gung Fu there is a stance called the “Crane” stance. You may remember the crane stance from a movie called “Karate Kid” starring Ralph Machio, but if you did not then, picture someone up on one leg, with his arms locked out, imitating the bird known as the crane but also hopping backward with his arms flopping around. The image of this resembles a wounded bird; hence Bruce’s favorite expression was used when he wanted one of his instructors to execute a Straight Blast in a sparring session, Bruce would say, “Put him in the “Wounded Crane!” In Jeet Kune Do the Straight Blast was and still is the single most important thing to do in a fight. No art practices their techniques while running backwards and being punched in the face five times in less than a second. The Straight Blast gives your opponent a clouded brain, which makes it easy to finish the fight in seconds unharmed. The Straight Blast is the best tool/training method we have to honing the killer instinct attribute. Bruce referred to the Straight Blast and trapping techniques/H.K.E. as “The Rally.” How to Straight Blast We roll our fists as we move forward. Your hands always stay in centerline while blasting. If your fists are in centerline then your opponents fists are not. If you are going in with forward pressure then there is a time and place where this will be your opponents worst nightmare. Throw three to five punches while you sprint. Sometimes practice just sprinting and notice how your body counterbalances, it will/should do the same while Straight Blasting. It may look a little silly but it is one of the most highly effective things you can learn. But you must isolate the Straight Blast at first and then develop it in a progression (gradually increase the number of your opponent’s available tools, and your pressure). Always practice the Entry from an alive position not like techniques in Karate (Bruce used to call it dissecting a corpse because of their stagnant stances and blind devotion to systematic patterns/katas (uselessness)).
In 1964 Bruce introduced the Straight Blast to his students. While seeing this for the first time “The Boxer” thought he could hook around it, “The Wrestler” thought he could shoot low and use a double leg takedown, and “The Karate” man noticed that it could not possibly have any power since the punches do not come from the hip. But all of their preconceived notions flew out the window when they felt the pressure of the Straight Blast first hand! The Straight Blast is extremely dangerous if used at the right place and right time, but it must be employed at the mid point of the fight. *WE DO NOT ENTER WITH THE STRAIGHT BLAST!* *YOU CANNOT USE THE STRAIGHT BLAST UNTIL YOU HAVE ALREADY INFLICTED PAIN OR CAUSE YOUR OPPONENT TO FLINCH!* When a Wing Chun practitioner Straight Blasts they keep the same leg forward (to protect the groin); Bruce noticed that it is much more effective and damaging if it is employed with a tremendous forward burst of energy. If you are Straight Blasting someone then he has no time to see your groin let alone hit it. Some Wing Chun practitioners advocate locking your elbows out and some tell you to keep them bent, I recommend to keep the elbows slightly bent for two reasons, one the arm is its strongest when slightly bent and two to protect your elbows from becoming damaged. The point of the Straight Blast is to apply as much pressure as is possible on your opponent. You cannot just stand there passively waiting or you will be countered easily. This is where Bruce saw some of the limitations of Wing Chun, they would passively wait and then initiate the Straight Blast with the same leg forward in a defensive mode. Bruce saw that moving around with aliveness (like a Boxer) and employing stop hits, finger jabs, Savate/Thai kicks, Fencing concepts, and some things he invented in long range fighting. Once he touched with them then he would do the 40 yard dash down the opponent’s centerline sending them into the “wounded crane.” Inflict pain with a finger jab, groin shot, destruction, etc.; then on the very next beat continue in with the Straight Blast (go for 3 to 5 punches to the face) usually at about the third beat the opponent will react. First practice it solely off the jab (entry to Straight Blast), then only off the cross, then only off the hook, then the jab and cross, then the jab and hook, then the cross and hook, then the jab cross and hook. Next practice it off low line kicks (using a nerve destruction on their kicks) and then move in. Then off the uppercut and overhand, and finally off a hit when the opponent is able to use any long range weapon. *Once you make your entry you need to go all out – the last thing you want is for there to be a separation – This may be your only chance so use it wisely! If you are fighting against a Boxer, don’t box him! Go for a groin hit or thigh kick and use that moment in time you inflicted pain to move into a form of pressure unlike anything they have ever seen before. Techniques to Use during the Straight Blast: 1. If he back peddles then throw a Savate kick to the groin 2. If he turns away to his left throw a Thai kick to the thigh 3. If he covers throw an oblique kick to distract 4. If he back peddles use Tai Chi 5. If he pushes you away then arm wrench 6. The more ballistic of a hit after the Straight Blast the better (head butts, knees, elbows, and arm wrenches) 7. Practice being calm, then initiate the Straight Blast but stop yourself in the middle of it and revert back to calmness, learn to control your emotional make-up/content 8. Always Blast with INTENSITY (the most important thing) *His energy will dictate what you should do next. *Practice the Straight Blast against a ground fighter (theoretically a Wing Chun man should never get taken to the ground because of the occupying centerline principle). If you are fighting as ground fighter/wrestler do not let him get his arms around you, as soon as he encroaches stop hit, finger jab or kick. These are training methods for the Straight Blast. Bruce saw that Martial Arts should be trained for like sports. He did not mean sport fighting, but to train in a progression like all sports do, making you an athlete. You must also train the Blast against a professional Boxer, a professional Thai Boxer, and a professional Ground fighter/Wrestler. You must put yourself in a vulnerable position to find the cause of your ignorance. Learn how to enter in on these men and you will never have any problems getting the Straight Blast off in a fight.